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Junaid Jamshed

Junaid Jamshed born 3 September 1964) is a Pakistani recording artist who gained fame as the frontman of the pop group, Vital Signs in 1987 with the hit song, "Dil Dil Pakistan", and remained in demand throughout the 1990s. In 1994, he released his debut solo album, Junaid of Vital Signs, which also quickly became a national hit, followed by Us Rah Par in 1999 and Dil Ki Baat in 2000.

Since then, Jamshed has focused on Islam and concentrated on reciting nasheeds. His debut religious album, Jalwa-e-Janan was released in 2005 and was followed by Mehboob-e-Yazdaan in 2006, Badr-ud-Duja in 2008, and Badee-uz-Zaman in 2009. Jamshed also owns a clothing boutique with the name "J." (read as "Jay Dot"), which has several outlets throughout Pakistan.

Early life and education

Junaid Jamshed is the son of Pakistan Air Force Group Captain (retired) Jamshed Akber Khan of Nowshera and Nafeesa Akber Khan of the Loharu princely family that ruled the Loharu State of the Punjab States Agency. Jamshed wanted to join Pakistan Air Force as a fighter pilot. He studied pre-engineering before joining University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore where he completed his university degree, graduating in mechanical engineering in 1990. Despite joining the Pakistan Air Force, he moved on to a career in Aeronautical Engineering due to his weak eyesight.

Music career

Signs

Though the band Vital Signs was launched in early 1986 in Rawalpindi by record producer Rohail Hyatt and bassist Shahzad Hasan (Shahi), it wasn't until later when Junaid Jamshed, then a young aeronautical engineering student from Lahore, joined them as their lead singer. Though their debut hit single, "Dil Dil Pakistan", released on 14 August 1987, skyrocketed them into fame, the song's success was not seen by him as something that would turn him into a professional musician. Jamshed, who wanted to become a professional engineer, initially didn't want to have anything to do with music other than just treating it as a hobby.

However, Rohail and Shahzad soon managed to convince him otherwise. After a string of chart-topping songs and albums, the band split in 1994 and Jamshed began a solo career, achieving increasing commercial success.

Solo career

Jamshed released his first solo album, Junaid of Vital Signs in 1994. The album's name was later changed to Tumhara Aur Mera Naam. This was followed by Us Rah Par in 1999. Us Rah Par went on to become one of the best selling albums of that year. The album included several tracks which were released as singles which became popular. They included such songs as, "Us Rah Par", "Na Tu Ayegi", "Aankhon Ko Aankhon Ney" and "O Sanama". In 2000, Jamshed released his next album, The Best of Junaid Jamshed, which contained remixes of some of the hit singles of the Vital Signs era. His last solo album, Dil Ki Baat, was released in 2001.

In 2003, BBC World Service conducted an unscientific poll to choose ten most famous songs of all time. Around 7000 songs were selected from all over the world. According to BBC, people from 155 countries/territories voted in the poll. "Dil Dil Pakistan" was ranked third among the top 10 songs.

In 2004, Jamshed renounced music and devoted his life to Islam.To supplement his income, he opened a clothing store "J.", selling Khaadis (a form of Kurta-Shalwar).

Influence

In 1987, Jamshed took Pakistani media by storm with his band's hit patriotic number "Dil Dil Pakistan". This was a turning point in Pakistan's music history which ushered in a new era of pop music. Fourteen years later, he announced his retirement from music and devoted his time to religious preaching. Jamshed now sings Urdu and English nasheeds.

Charity work

Jamshed is also actively involved in charity work and has been associated with the NGO Muslim Charity since 2003. Under the leadership of Jamshed, Muslim Charity has made a significant impact since then, and which has in the last few years and expanded its operations to 17 countries.